A Caged Wolf
by anime craz
Summary: Tala is living with the Bladebreakers until he is deemed to be 'normal' enough to be let out into society. How will he cope? Can Rei break down the walls of ice around his heart? ReiTala Yaoi Second chappy UP! R
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi, this is like, my first fic, so please be nice… I dunno why I decided to do this pairing, but it seems to work out… I'm sorta used to Rei/Kai, so I made Kai into the big brother kinda role… anyway, it is Yaoi, so u know… don read if u don like it… and it is Rei/Tala…**_

_**I don own beyblade… obviously….**_

_**Enjoy!**_

Rei sat on the couch across from Kai, absent-mindedly playing with the end of his long braid. The Bladebreakers had been called by Mr. Dickenson to meet with him in a spacious room at an expensive hotel,

"I wonder what he wants." Tyson said as he rocked in his chair out of boredom. "I hope it'll be quick, cause I'm starving!"

"You just had breakfast half an hour ago!" Max exclaimed, even after teaming with the blue haired boy for so long, he still couldn't get over the fact of his huge appetite.

"Well, I'm a growing boy, I need my energy.

Just as Max was about to say something in retort, the door opened and Mr. Dickenson walked in, smiling as he always did when in the presence of the boys. A man dressed in a black suit followed him, presumably his bodyguard. Which made Rei wonder, Mr. Dickenson never had a bodyguard with him before.

"I apologize for having kept you waiting for so long, my boys," Mr. Dickenson said heartily after sitting down on one of the sofas. "This really is an urgent matter, I'm glad you could be here."

"It's no problem, Mr. Dickenson," Rei said, seeing as how no one else was going to speak. "What is it? Something wrong with Biovolt again?"

Rei saw from the corner of his eyes that Kai frowned at the mere mention of Biovolt, and turned to offer a small grin to their captain, who relaxed a little upon seeing this.

The two of them has gotten closer since the Biovolt incident, and had grown to care for each other as brothers do. Rei was often the only thing that could calm Kai, or just keep him from killing Tyson. And Kai offered him advice from experience when Rei was just unclear of what to do.

"In a way, it's connected with them." Mr. Dickenson said as he sipped on a cup of tea brought in by a maid. He motioned to the man standing at the door, whom promptly turned to leave.

"You remember the Demolition Boys, yes?" Mr. Dickenson asked, looking at each of them, his smile fading a little.

They all nodded, and Kai's form tensed visibly upon hearing this. It was hard to forget a team like the Demolition Boys, even if one tried to do so.

"We have put them into rehab centers. It seems that they were quite traumatized by the …training that they had to go through," Kai snorted at this, but otherwise making no comment, "We are quite pleased with the progress that they were making… but the doctor asks for them to live with people their age for a while and see how they do…"

"You want them to live with us?" Tyson shouted, as if the idea of such was absurd.

"Not… not quite all of them, only Tala." Mr. Dickenson said. His bodyguard walked in once again, following the said Russian redhead.

"But he's probably going to kill us in our sleep or poison our food or something like that!" Tyson shouted, not caring al all that the person he was referring to could hear him clearly. He was on his feet now, and looking rather agitated.

"Tyson!" Kai and Rei both said warningly, and Rei scowled at Tyson for saying such a thing. A smile appeared on Mr. Dickenson's face, knowing that Tala was in good hands.

"But it's true, he probably will." Tyson mumbled, loud enough for everyone else to hear.

Rei sighed and shook his head, turning to look at Tala, and frowned deeply upon seeing that he was wearing a chocker of some kind, which was linked to a leash. The other end was held tightly by the man in the suit.

"How long?" Kai asked, his gaze not wavering from the red head. Rei knew what must be going through Kai's head at the moment. The stoic boy had told Rei how much he regretted not being able to save the Demolition Boys from their fate in the Abbey, especially Tala, whom he considered one of his best friends when he was young.

"Just a couple of month." Mr. Dickenson said, "I want you to write me a report every two weeks to see how he's doing."

"Why is he wearing that?" Rei asked, still frowning at the leash that he other was forced to wear. It made Rei think of something kind of chained animal.

"It's merely a safety precaution… for his as much as yours." Mr. Dickenson explained, again sipping on his tea.

"I told you he was dangerous," Tyson exclaimed loudly, but anything else he might have to say was effectively cut off by a glare sent his way from Kai.

"Kai…" Mr. Dickenson started, "I know that you are close with Tala… and how you must be feeling… but I ask you not to participate in this…this experiment…"

"What?" Kai asked, turning to look at the old man as if he were crazy. His scowl set in place. "That's impossible, he's going to be living with my team, isn't he?"

"I ask you, Kai, not to interfere with anything that might happen between him and your team." Mr. Dickenson said, his face a mask of seriousness, "It is very important that you do this for me…and for Tala."

"Why?" Kai asked, and Rei could tell that he was quiet upset at the arrangement. But in a way Rei knew Kai would be agreeing to it, if it were for Tala's good.

"Because you will not be able to help him every day of his life… We need to be sure that he could get along with people his age properly, and if he does run into communication troubles and such… he will have to learn to solve it n his own…" Mr. Dickenson said patiently, looking back and forth between Kai and Tala.

"Fine," Kai said, his face emotionless, which was what he did to hide his emotions when he was feeling a particularly strong one.

"Rei," Mr. Dickenson said, turning to face the Neko-jin, "I need you to be in charge of this… you understand…"

"Yes, of course," Rei answered politely, "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Please, at least try to stay out of trouble." Mr. Dickenson said, smiling and sipping on his tea.

The five of them sat in the living room the hotel suite silently, except for the occasional sounds of Tyson's slurping and chewing as he ate. Kai had gone for a walk outside, leaving only five of them.

"Would you like something to eat, Tala?" Rei asked as he sat down on the sofa. They weren't really having a serious meal, so they didn't use the dinning room, which would have been too troublesome to clean up after the meal.

"No answer, but then a slight nod confirmed Rei's question. Rei smiled at him and brought him some of the spaghetti that he had cooked for their lunch, Tala was still standing at the door, hesitate to go in.

"You can't eat properly if you don't sit down," Rei said, and led the wolf towards the others.

"I don't want him near me when I'm eating and vulnerable." Tyson said with a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

Tala stopped in mid-step and froze, the pained expression left his face just as quick as it came, but it didn't escape Rei's enhanced sight.

"You're welcome to eat in the kitchen, Tyson." Rei said, and pulled Tala's wrist to make him sit. The Russian's eyes widened and his hand drew away from the contact as quickly as possible.

"But Reeeiii…" Tyson whined, but made no further complaints seeing as how Rei was not going to relent.

Rei couldn't help but notice the way that Tala tugged on the choker that he wore around his neck, and frowned.

"It's very annoying, isn't it?" Rei asked in a quiet whisper that only Tala, who was sitting across from him, could hear.

A slight nod of the head was all he got for an answer.

"Does it hurt you?" He asked again, in hope of some sort of proper answer.

A shake of the head, and nothing more.

Rei looked down and continued to eat his lunch dejectedly, a small sigh of supposed disappointment escaped his lips.

"It irritates the skin when I move." A cool, smooth voice said after a space of silence settled between them. Rei looked up and saw Tala looking at him intently with his icy blue eyes.

"Would you like me to take it off for you?" Rei asked, smiling towards the older teen.

"I don't think you're allowed to do that," Tala said, and glanced at Tyson and Max, who were still wolfing down their food, "I don't think they'd like it if you did."

Tala looked away from the tiger, and returned to his food when he was sure that no further comment was going to be made. He had not the faintest idea what possessed him to start a conversation (if it can be called that), with the other boy. Perhaps it was the dejected look on his face, or the small sigh he let out of his lips, or maybe the need to talk with another human after everything he's been through. He had hoped that Rei would be able to take the annoying choker off f him, but he really didn't want to get the Neko-jin in trouble with the BBA, and seeing as how he and the other boy Tyson was already fighting about how to treat him… However, he did appreciate Rei standing up for him. Not many had done that for him.

He started as a weight made the couch he sat on sink down, and turned to find Rei sitting beside him.

"Turn around so I can get this thing off you," Rei said in a commanding tone.

"Don't tell me what to do." Tala said testily, before turning and letting Rei take off the choker.

Rei let out a startled gasp as he saw how Tala's neck was almost rubbed raw from the material of the choker.

"That's going to need some bandaging." Rei commented off handly as he threw the choker into the garbage carelessly.

Tala nodded in acknowledgment, "Thank you," He said courtly.

"No problem, it's insane for anyone to put that on. Must be horrible." Rei said, standing and walking towards his bedroom.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" Rei turned back at the door of his bedroom and faced Tala.

A perplexed looked appeared on Tala's face, which Rei discreetly thought looked rather cute.

"I need to bandage your neck, and the first aid box is in my room." Rei explained.

Tala got up from his seat wordlessly and followed Rei into his bedroom, unaware of the confused and heated looks he was receiving from the rest of the team.

He entered the room and was surprised to see that Rei had added his own touches to the room. There were several pictures of him with some other Chinese whom Tala presumed to be his family. A few of him with the White Tigers, but most were of him and his team, and many were of him Kai.

There was a small clock on the nightstand, shaped as a roaring tiger, '_probably a gift from his friends,_' thought Tala. He continued to look around his gaze landed on a bey-blade resting on the nightstand just beside the clock.

He picked it up gingerly and studied it carefully, it was an old-fashioned blade carved out of wood. Although old and quite useless, it was easy to tell that the blade had once been a great work of art and was done with all the care in the world.

"Tala, would you – " Rei stopped in mid-sentence upon seeing what Tala was looking at.

Tala put it down again slowly and carefully, "I apologize." He said after an awkward silence settled between the,.

"No, it's fine… it was a gift from a friend, I… sit down so I can bandage you properly."

Tala did as hew as told, inwardly feeling a bit guilty at making the Neko-jin uncomfortable.

Rei sat down in from of him, facing Tala. He unwrapped a roll of bandages and uncapped a bottle of antiseptic.

"This is going to hurt quite a bit." Rei said, and started to clean the wound on Tala's neck. He moved his face closer to the other boy's neck involuntarily, wanting to be able to see it better, and Tala felt the soft, warm breathe of Rei hitting the curve of his neck, and had to fight a blush coming up his cheeks. He pulled away slightly.

"Am I hurting you?" Rei asked attentively.

"No, I've been through worse." He replied.

"Are you sure? You look flustered…tell me if I hurt you and I'll be more careful."

Tala nodded, unsure of what to say.

As time passed, both seemed to relax a great deal. Rei began humming a tone that the elders sang to him when hew as a child, and the music soothed both the boys. Tala had visibly relaxed and his muscles were no longer tense under Rei's touch.

By the time that they were done, Tala was getting so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open. He had barely slept in the last few days due to the nightmares that he had every time he even tried to take a nap. The first few nights he woke up with cold sweat all over his body. He couldn't quite remember what the dreamt of, but it was horrible.

"Tala?" A soft voice called out his name lightly, and he opened his eyes groggily and saw Rei looking at him with a mixture of concern and amusement.

"Do you want me to show you to your room?" Rei asked, keeping his voice soft.

"Hmmm…" He groaned and nodded, but made no effort to get up. Instead, he leaned back and lay on Rei's bed. Not really thinking, he fell asleep as soon as he hit the soft mattress of the bed.

Rei sighed in amusement, and carefully removed Tala's shoes and outer clothing. He then proceeded to cover the redhead with his jacket to keep him warm.

Tala thought he heard the soft clicking sound of the door closing before he fell completely asleep. He subconsciously snuggled into the bed and pillows. It smelt nice… kind of like the forests in the summer, and a faint scent of wild flowers reached his nose as well. It made him relaxed, more so than he had been in a long time, and he slept for the first time without nightmares in days.

**_I hope u guys like it, I mean. I thought it was ok when I was writing it… but anyway, please review so that I know whether to continue or not… flames are welcome… just don be too harsh…_**

**_Please review!_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Okay, I've fixed the repeat problem, sorry bout that...my bad... anyhow, i couldn't realli read ur reviews for some reason, so daz why it took so long to fix...**_

_**But for all you guys reading the chapter for the first time, this should be making no sense to u, so just ignore it and hop right to the story! **_

_**Thanks for your reviews, they really help me… here's the next chapter, hope you guys like it!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

Tala woke and saw that it was well into the afternoon. The sky had turned a deep shade of pink with the setting sun. He sat up in the bed and looked around the room. There was no one else. He let his mind wonder for a bit and remembered what had happened. He had fallen asleep in Rei's room.

He got off of the bed and was surprised to find himself devoid of his boots and outer clothes. 'Must have been the Neko-jin.' He thought, and was pleased to see that his clothes lay on the chair, folded neatly.

He dressed himself quickly, as soon as he stepped out of the room, he was hit with the wonderful aroma of Chinese food. And sounds of the TV, mixed with the loud and brash sound of Tyson talking.

He walked silently towards the living room, where he was sure everyone else was. Not that he was in the mood of joining them, especially since Kai wasn't there, but he had wanted to get something to eat. The small portion of spaghetti he had for lunch was not nearly enough to satisfy his hunger.

He entered the living room without anyone noticing, it surprised him that Kai was there as well, helping Rei with things in the kitchen. Kenny was typing almost madly on his laptop, and the other two were arguing over what to watch on TV.

He walked towards the kitchen where Kai and Rei worked, and entered with a nod of acknowledgment from Kai. Rei turned and smiled at him cheerfully.

"Are you feeling better, Tala?" He asked, and his smile grew when he got a nod in response, "I was just about to send Kai to get you, we're going to have dinner soon."

"I'm much better, thank you," Tala replied in his usual voice, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, it's fine," Rei said, turning to turn off the fire under one of the large pot, glad that Tala had offered his help, "I'm almost down here. Why don't help Kai set up the table?"

He nodded and looked at Kai, expecting the bluenette to know what to do, but Kai simply looked back at him with a blank stare of his own. It seemed that neither of them knew what to do.

"Rei…" Kai called out gently, not wanting to startle the Neko-jin, who was now taste-testing the soup that he had just finished making.

"Rei turned at the sound of his name, and smiled knowingly, "The plates are in there," He said, pointing to a cupboard beside him, "And the cutlery is in there." He pointed to another drawer.

"REI!" A loud voice called out from the living room, "CAN WE EAT YET? I'M GOING TO STARVE TO DEATH!"

"In a minute, Tyson!" Rei called, and tried to life the big pot of soup off the stove. He failed to notice Tala behind him, carrying a stack of plates with his back to Rei.

A loud crash startled Kai, who was presently in the dining room. He rushed into the kitchen and found Rei and Tala both on the floor, a set of broken dishes were beside them, and a large pot over over-turned beside Rei, who let out a pained hiss. Kai noticed the scorching liquid that was once in the pot had spilled all over Rei's arm, and both teens seemed to have multiple cuts along their arms from the broken sharks of the plates.

He walked over to the two and decided to check over Rei first, who seemed to have gotten the worst of the injuries.

"Rei?" He called out, his hand stretched out to touch the other boy's shoulder, "Move your hand away from your arm so I can see how bad it is."

Rei complied without any protest. Not that Kai was expecting any. He also didn't expect to see how bad the burn was on the other's arm.

"TYSON!" He bellowed, calling the others so they can come and help.

"Is dinner ready? Man, I'm so hungry I could probably eat a horse… no make that ten horses!" Tyson said as he strode into the kitchen. He froze immediately at seeing Rei (Who had stood up now with the help of Kai) and let out a hiss. His eyes narrowed and his glare was immediately directed to a certain redhead. His eyes narrowed even further (If that was possible) upon seeing that Tala, too, had cuts along his arm, though not nearly as serious as Rei. His mind jumped to the worst conclusion.

"YOU MURDERER!" He screamed at the top of his longs, almost in hysteria, successfully startling Max and Chief, who were just coming in. A gasp could be heard from both boys. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO REI! HE WAS SO NICE TO YOU AND LET YOU SLEEP IN HIS BED AND LOOK WHAT YOU DID! YOU TRIED TO KILL HIM!"

Tala's eyes widened slightly at being accused and narrowed after.

"Tala," Kai said, after shushing Rei before the Neko-jin could speak, "Take Rei into the living room…Chief, bandage them up… Max, go with Kenny, but don't cause any more trouble. Tyson… we need to talk, outside, now."

Rei sent a mild glare towards Tyson, and a concerned look to Kai, who gave him a reassuring look. Rei cradled his arm gingerly and followed the others in to the living room.

"Kai," He said as he turned back at the door, "He means well…"

Kai nodded and took Tyson's arm, walking out of the room.

Rei walked into the living room and sat down beside Tala, who was already having his wounds checked over by Kenny. Max kneeled in front of Rei, holding a bottle of antiseptic and a roll of bandages.

"Do you want me to do it for you? Or would you prefer to do it yourself?" Max asked, smiling at the Chinese.

"It's fine, Max, I'm sure I can do this by myself." Rei said, not really trusting the blonde with such a task. Sure, he was a great friend and a great teammate, and very helpful when it came to some things, but Rei doubted the boy's ability to take care of something like this.

He tried to maneuver the bottle of antiseptic so that he wouldn't hurt his arms, but found that he couldn't quite accomplish that and let out a small groan of pain and frustration. Apparently on one but Tala heard him, The redhead glanced his way with an unreadable face, to which Rei returned with a tiny smile of his own, and went back to trying (and failing) to bandage his arm.

"Max," Rei called the blonde after about then minutes. He still haven't managed to bandage himself properly, but there was something else that bothered him and needed to be taken care of, "Go and see what Kai and Tyson are doing. If they are still not down talking, let them be… but if either of them looks, even a little bit, agitated, tell Kai I need to speak with him and that it's a matter of life and death."

"Oh… sure thing, Rei," Max said and walked towards the door, "Are you sure you don't want me to help you with your arm?" He turned back and asked.

"No, I'm fine, you go ahead." Rei said, and looked at Tala. Chief had done a wonderful job on his arm and returned to his room mumbling something about more data to be analyzed. "Tala, are you alright? Does your arm hurt a lot?"

"I'm fine," Tala side courtly, but his empty stomach rumbled, "Albeit a little hungry."

"Oh…I'm sorry for interrupting dinner," Rei said, frowning, "The food has probably all burned by now… I hope someone remembered to turn off the oven…" He trailed off and started to walk towards the kitchen.

"You're still hurt," Tala pointed out, as no one else was going to do so. Rei stopped in his tracks, "And your arm still isn't bandaged…Kai will throw a fit."

"What?" Rei said, looking like he was in a bit of a daze, "Oh…that…I'm sure it's fine."

"Do you…" Tala coughed, looking rather uncomfortable, "Do you want me to help you?"

Rei started, not really knowing what to say to the wolf, "If it's not too much trouble… I suppose…"

It was at this moment that Kai walked into the room, and walked straight over to Rei, a scared looking Max stood at the door, unsure of whether to go in.

"You wanted to talk to me?" Kai asked, his eyes still blazing, but his voice gentle, "What is it?"

"I… was wondering if you would be staying for dinner…seeing as how you didn't stay for lunch…" Rei said, fidgeting with the sleeves of his top.

Kai scowled and let out a slight frustrated growl, "You said it was a matter of life death."

"It is…" Rei said, smiling meekly, "I fear that if you stay out there too long… Tyson would have dead…"

Kai let a smirk come onto his face, and sighed, "I think he got my point…haven't yelled at him this loud since…before the world championships…" He mumbled.

"Kai…" Rei sighed, giving his captain a grin, "You shouldn't be so hard on him all the time…he means well…"

"Your arm isn't bandaged…" Kai said, ignoring Rei's comment and frowning, "Where were you going before I came in?"

"Oh…well… I think I forgot to turn off the oven…" Rei mumbled, suddenly finding the hotel floor very interesting, "and Tala was just about to bandage my arm for me."

"Do it, I'll go and take care of the mess in the kitchen." Kai said, walking towards the kitchen, "MAX!" He shouted, "Get Tyson and tell him we're eating now, ask him to come!"

Rei sat down beside Tala, and held out his arm for the redhead. Tala took his arm gently, careful not to agitate the wounds anymore. And went through the process of cleaning and bandaging the wound (I don't really know first-aid… so I will not embarrass myself by attempting to write this part in details…)

By the time they were done, Kai was finished with whatever he was doing and had came back to the living room.

"I don't think you should be using that arm anymore… at least not for a while," Tala said monotonously, cleaning up the first-aid things he had spread on the coffee table.

"I'll keep that in mind," Rei said, smiling at the other teen, "Thanks."

Tala nodded and returned the first-aid box to the bathroom, leaving Rei and Kai alone for the moment.

"Are you sure your arm is ok?" Kai asked, concerned, "Do you want me to have another look at it?"

"Don't worry so much, Kai…" Rei said, smiling, "Tala did a wonderful job bandaging my arm, it's fine now."

"Yes, he's great at that…" Kai said, looking at the distance, "He used to do that for me when we were in the abbey…" He trailed off, sounding rather pained at the memory.

"Kai…" Rei moved closer towards the boy that he deemed as his brother. His uninjured arm wrapped around Kai's shoulder in comfort. Kai was used to his, Rei had done the same to comfort him when he had just came from the abbey. He leaned in to the embrace, and felt better knowing that there was someone there for him. "Thanks, Rei," He mumbled, closing his eyes. The mere presence of the Neko-jin comforted him.

"It's no problem," Rei whispered.

"Thanks for taking of Tala as well… I think he's in even worse shape than I was when I came back," Kai said, his head resting on Rei's shoulder, "I hate not being able to help him."

"It's alright," Rei assured him, "I'll be there for him…I think he's already opening up to me a bit now…"

Soft steps alerted them of someone else approaching. Rei loosened his hold on Kai and Kai sat up, blinking a few times and saw Tala sit across from the two of them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Tala said in the same emotionless voice.

"You weren't," Kai said in the same voice that Tala used, "I called for pizza."

Tala nodded and looked towards the door, "Someone's coming."

Before either of them could say anything to reply, the door opened and Tyson walked in, Max following him, they both looked pretty calm now.

"Okay, where's the food?" Tyson yelled as he came in, rubbing his stomach, "I think I'm going to starve to death soon."

"Would you get Kenny? I think he's in his room. The food will be here shortly," Rei said, and grinned when the doorbell rang, "There is it."

They all settled into the dinning room, the dinner had been quiet and uneventful. Rei had a bit trouble with his food since he couldn't really use his arm, and Kai had ended up feeding him, which brought snickers from Tyson and Max, but both were silenced quickly by a glare from Kai. Towards the end of the dinner, Kai had made the two promises they would do the dishes, without breaking any, and the rest retired to their own activities.

_**Sorry bout the thingy with the chappie before, I fixed that now, so yay!**_

_**Anyway, hope u like this, R&R please!**_


	3. Chapter 3

Rei woke suddenly during the night, and found the clock beside his bed blinking 1:35 am. He frowned, trying to figure out just what had woken him up, but couldn't quite remember.

Just as he was about to lay down and sleep, he heard a quiet moan coming from the room beside his. It sounded like someone was having a nightmare. He was quite familiar with the sounds, it had woken him almost every night during the time that Kai had been sharing a room with him, it had gotten better as Kai recovered from his horrible experiences.

It seemed to be coming from the room next to his, but that was the guest room, nobody's in there… oh, that's right, they'd put Tala in there. So he must be the one having the nightmares. Rei got up from his bed and opened the door quietly, surprised that nobody else had heard anything, perhaps it was because he was a Neko-jin… enhanced hearing and all that.

He tried the door to Tala's room, knowing that it would be unlocked no matter what, and went inside. Tala was a mess, he was sweating a lot and has been doing an awful lot of twisting and turning in his bed. The redhead did a wonderful job of tangling himself in the bed sheets, and showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.

"Tala?" Rei called out gently, trying to wake the other boy, "Tala, wake up." He said more urgently when the other boy showed no sign of waking.

Clear blue eyes opened so suddenly that Rei almost backed away in fright, but his nerves returned and he smiled calmly at the other boy. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Tala said, blinking and looking at his surroundings, "Why are you here?"

"I heard you in my sleep and thought it better to wake you," Rei replied, sitting down on the side of Tala's bed, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now," Tala said, "I apologize for having woken you up so late."

"Oh, no, it's no problem," Rei said, smiling at the redhead, "I'm don't need much sleepy anyway."

Tala muttered something under his breath that Rei couldn't quite hear, and looked away almost embarrassedly soon as he was done.

"I'm sorry? I couldn't really catch that…" Rei asked again politely.

"I said," Tala cleared his throat awkwardly, "That I thought nekos were supposed to like sleeping very much."

"Oh, well, not really," Rei said, but couldn't suppress the yawn that followed, which he quickly covered with his hand, "Well…just a bit."

Tala allowed his lips to curve up a bit at the cute picture Rei made, his eyes almost dropping close and yawning cutely, showing his fangs a bit. And suddenly Tala felt relaxed in the other boy's presence. Never before did he feel this way, it was a warm feeling in the bottom of his stomach, and something in his heart told him that he was safe, no matter what the circumstances.

"You should go back to sleep," Tala said gently, looking down and playing with the folds of the sheets covering him.

"I really don't think leaving you alone is going to be a good idea," Rei said, and cocked his head to the side in a cute fashion that reminded Tala of a new-born kitten, "I mean, not if you're going to have another nightmare."

"I won't." Tala said firmly, more to convince himself than anybody else.

Rei sighed at the stubbornness of the boy, again reminded of what he and Kai went through, "I could stay here with you tonight if you'd like, I mean, I could wake you up again in another nightmare like that occurs…and from my experiences, it helps to have someone with you when you have nightmares."

"That won't be necessary," Tala said coolly, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Thank you for your concern."

"Tala…" Rei shook his head slightly to clear his head and remember what he said to Kai when the same thing was replied to him, "I'm not pitying you, nor do I think you're a person not capable of doing anything for yourself, and most importantly, I don't want anything from you, I only want to help…"

Tala started, seemingly surprised at what the other boy said. After two seconds of consideration, he lowered his head so that he was looking at his hands, "I did not say you were doing any of those things." He said meekly, and sighed in defeat, "Stay if you like…if you're sure that it's not too much trouble."

"Don't worry, it's not." Rei said, and slipped under the covers quickly, "Sweet dreams…"

"You too, neko." The Russian replied softly, getting a light snore in reply. He closed his eyes, and fell into a much-needed dreamless sleep.

Tala woke up with the feeling that someone was watching him. He sat up and looked around, finding no other than Tyson in his room, sitting in a chair beside his bed.

"Can I help you?" Tala inquired politely, not wanting to get into an argument with the younger teen so early in the morning.

"I…er…wanted to apologize," Tyson said, looking anywhere but the redhead, "For the way I treated you yesterday…It was wrong…I'm sorry."

Of all the things that Tala expected the loud youth to say, this was definitely the last thing on the list. He was at a lost for words, never having heard an apology like this. "It's…alright, I suppose…

"No, really," Tyson said, scratching the back of his head nervously, "I mean, I really shouldn't have done that…I'd understand if you like…hate me or whatever."

"I don't," Tala said, deciding that he really did not hate the other teen, only perhaps a bit wary of his many habits, "However, I am curious as to what changed your mind about me."

"Oh…Kai had a talk with me last night," Tyson chuckled, quite embarrassed, "not that it did anything… but Rei said…some really nice things about you, and I mean, I trust his judgment, and if he says you're okay, then you must be a pretty cool guy."

"I see…"Tala nodded slightly, still thinking about the words. So the Neko's opinion really did matter, "I think I'm going to change now." He gave a pointed look to Tyson.

"Oh, yeah, sure," The bluenette said carelessly, "Rei made you breakfast, he's a great cook."

"Yes, I'm sure he is," Tala agreed, eyeing the other warily, "But would you mind leaving the room so I can change?"

"Oh…oh, that…yeah, man, sure thing, I'll see you later." Tyson said, laughing apolitically and backed out of the room.

Rei's cooking had been much better than he had expected, and it was better than anything he had ever tasted, not that he ever tasted anything other than the specially prepared food inside the abbey, but still…Tala was sure that the Chinese's cooking would ensure him a job at the top restaurants.

And now he was walking a couple of steps behind the said teen, on their way to the local mall. He couldn't quite remember how the other had roped him into going, but no doubt it was with some sweet words and cute smiles. It was hard to think clearly when the Neko-jin is sitting across from you, smiling cutely and asking you to accompany him to the mall so he could buy you some clothes. And that's how Tala found himself in the situation that he was in right now.

"Remind me again why you couldn't have taken someone else?" Tala asked, quickening his steps so that he would be able to walk along side the neko.

"Because they're all busy, and besides, I'm buying you clothes, it's no use if you don't come." Rei said, not even looking at the redhead, but rather focusing on what paths they're taking.

"My clothes are fine, I don't think I need new ones." Tala said, He liked his old clothes, not that there was much variation in color and style, but they had served him fine in the past.

"Yes, they are fine," Rei agreed, "but you can't wear the same styled clothes all the time, and they're winter's clothes. You're going to need some light clothes once spring rolls around."

Tala said no more, but agreed with the Chinese. It was true, there was no spring in the abbey, but now that he was free, he was going to need more than just thick sweaters and jackets. The rest of the journey was completed in a comfortable silence that fell upon the two, and soon they found themselves inside the mall.

Rei turned to the other and smiled,. "Here we are, I think we should get your clothes first, then we wander around for a bit, we don't have to be back home till dinner."

Before Tala could nod in affirmation, Rei's pleased expression quickly changed to one of horror, directed at someone coming their way. "Oh…god, please no… spare me…" Tala distinctly heard the other teen mutter under his breath. Before the Neko was quick enough to turn and walk out of the place, a rather familiar voice hit the boys' eardrums.

"Hello, Rei. What a surprise to see you here!" The person said, now standing right in front of the two, but completely ignoring Tala's presence.

"Yes, what a surprise…I didn't even know you were in town…" Rei said dejectedly. Tala looked at the person in front of him and searched his mind for any information possible. The face looked familiar, and he was sure it was going to take him an awful long time to forget that voice, but somehow his mind is pulling a blank…


	4. author's note

I'm sorry… there's nothing else I can say for the lack of update….

See, the thing is….my family moved from Canada to china, which is of course a big change…and I just sorta forgot about this…..

I am terribly sorry. I will update soon, tomorrow, possibly….so …again, sorry….


	5. Chapter 5

_**Here's another chapter...sorry again...**_

_**Anyhow, on with the story...**_

_ "Yes, what a surprise…I didn't even know you were in town…" Rei said dejectedly._

"Well it wouldn't be a surprise if you knew, would it?" The person said again, now standing across from the two boys.

Before Rei could say another word, she went on speaking "Never mind that, join me for lunch, and we can shop together before we do."

"Mariah…" Rei said almost painfully, looking at the pink-haired girl standing in front of him, "I really don't…"

"Come on, Rei," Mariah whined, "And you're friend can come too…. if he doesn't mind us getting too intimate…" She threw a wink towards Rei along with that.

"Actually," Rei said, pulling back from the girl's grip, "Tala and I… are on a date."

Rei looked at Tala, silently begging the other to play along, and was relieved when the redhead chose to not say anything, only giving Rei a questioning look, then nodding so slightly that Rei almost missed the sign. The Chinese boy turned to Mariah and grinned, knowing that the Russian was willing to go along with his plan.

"That's impossible," Mariah said, "You're not gay…"

"That's what you think, Mariah." Rei said, standing closer to the redhead. "If you'll excuse me, we have to go now. You may come along if you don't mind us getting too…intimate." He said almost smugly, turning the girl's words on her.

Rei turned and took a hold of Tala's wrist, gently pulling the redhead along as they passed the pink-haired girl without any comment. Rei didn't bother looking back, no doubt the girl was fuming over his earlier comment. But what really worried him was that if Mariah was here…it would be no doubt that the rest of the White Tigers were here as well, and that would bring a lot of unwanted trouble.

He let go of Tala's wrist as soon as he was sure that Mariah couldn't see them anymore, and let out a sigh of relief, "Thanks," He muttered to Tala.

"She was your…teammate?" Tala asked, unsure of whether the question was appropriate to ask.

"A long time ago." Rei said, looking the least bothered by the question. "I don't think she understands that I don't like her."

They both started walking again, though it seemed neither knew where they were going.

"Are you really gay?" Tala asked, blurting out the question that has been on his mind, but regretted saying it almost at once. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask that. You needn't answer it."

"No, it's fine." Rei said, though not looking the redhead. "I suppose I am… I've been attracted to one guy, so I guess..."

"I didn't mean to pry." Tala said apologetically.

"You're not." Rei assured the other, "but don't tell anyone else, I'm not sure how they would handle it.:

"Of course." Tala said, if you don't me asking…"

Rei motioned for the other to continue.

"Are you and Kai…" Tala cleared his throat softly, "That is, are you…"

"No," Rei said, laughing softly at the notion, "We're more like brothers."

Tala nodded, slightly embarrassed that he had asked the question.

"Why do you ask?" Rei said in a playful tone, "Pinning after Kai, are you?"

"Of course not." Tala said indignantly.

"Then you're after me, are you?" Rei said, teasing and enjoying seeing Tala's expression.

A space of silence passed between the two, making Rei rather uncomfortable. "Tala…are you -"

"Maybe." Tala said, smirking a the surprised look Rei gave him, "Maybe I am."

Rei and Tala sat in the mall's food court, they have finally done all the shopping they needed, in other words, all the shopping the two could take, and were rather exhausted. Neither said anything about the strange conversation they had, until now.

"You weren't really serious, were you, Tala?" Rei asked as he watched Tala drink his coffee. "You know, about earlier?"

"What do you think?" Tala asked, placing his cup of coffee onto the table.

"I'm not sure," Rei replied, looking at his cup of hot chocolate. "To tell you the truth, I don't really know what to think."

"I think we both know how you would react if I was joking…" Tala said, "How would you react if I was serious?"

"I…I'm not sure." Rei said truthfully. "Couldn't you just tell me whether you were or not?"

"I'd much prefer to keep you confused, " Tala said, smirking to make Rei even uneasier.

"Tala." Rei let out a soft growl, "I won't sleep with you anymore if you don't tell me." He turned red immediately after realizing how that must have sounded.

"Are you threatening me, Neko?" Tala said, his face suddenly turning serious, and his voice pressed low

Rei's eyes widened, not sure whether this was why Tala had been in a rehab center, for a few seconds Rei thought he caught a glimpse of the old Tala, from the world championships. Just for a fleeting moment, Rei was scared for his own safety, but it was gone in a moment, and Rei grinned cheekily, "Maybe I am, what are you going to do about it?"

Tala blinked, not excepting the Neko-jin to retort, he smirked as he realized how enjoyable bantering with Rei was. "I don't like it when people threaten me, kitten." He said as menacingly as he could, putting an effort into keeping his face straight.

"You're awfully chatty today, Tala," Rei said, smiling warmly at the Russian.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Tala said, picking up and drinking his now lukewarm coffee, "I'm always like this.:

"Really?" Rei asked, somewhat intrigued. "I never would have guessed."

"I'm not good at talking with strangers," Tala said, as if that explained everything, "But I'm great with people I like."

"Ah…" Rei cooed, "So you do like, me…well, frankly, I'm flattered."

"Don't me," Tala muttered and he ducked to hide a blush, "Should we be heading back?"

Rei checked his watch and nodded, "We should hurry, Kai's going to throw a fit if we don't."

They walked back talking about all the little things in life, and both had found themselves enjoying the other's company. As they entered the hotel room, they found Kai sitting on one of the sofas, reading what looked like something printed off the Internet. The dim lighting of the room making his figure seem all the more imposing.

"Rei, Tala." He greeted solemnly, "Bought everything you need?"

"Yes, it was a pleasant trip." Rei replied, putting down the bags he held, "Why so serious, Kai?"

"Here," Kai said, handing Rei the paper hew as reading before they came in, "Take a look."

"Another tournament?" Rei asked, assuming that was what got Kai serious, Tala scooted over so he could read the paper as well.

Both of them were shocked to see several pictures of them printed on the paper, most were of ones from when they were just in the mall. Rei scanned the articles below, and got the general idea. It was a news article from the net, reporting the two to be together in a "heated passionate relationship"

"What is this suppose to be?" Tala asked, eyeing Kai, "Where did you get this?"

"It's all over the news, but never mind that. Do I get an explanation?" Although phrased in a question, it was more of a demand.

"Well…they certainly act fast." Rei said, and grinned weakly, "It's not true."

"I know that," Kai stated exasperatedly, "I want to know why this happened."

Rei proceeded to tell Kai about their run-in with Mariah, and what he said to her, followed by apologizing to Tala for bringing him into the mess.

"I hope you realized that you'll be tagged with reporters for at least 2 weeks, maybe three. They'll be everywhere you are."

"No chance of getting out?" Rei asked hopefully and sighed dejectedly when Kai shook his head, "I didn't expect Mariah to actually tell anyone…sorry, Tala."

"It's ok, I don't care." The redhead said, "Are you going to do anything about this?"

"I suppose I could tell the reporters that this isn't true." Rei said, Kai cut in before he could finish.

"They'd never believe you." The bluenette said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Just pretend you two are together for a while, at least in public."

"Fine…I'll tell Tyson and the others when they come back…" Rei said.

"Sure," Kai said rather sarcastically, "I can see it now. As soon as they know it's not true, they're going to tell the reporters, who'll no doubt make up stories about how they're jealous of you two and the whole team being gay."

"I can't even tell them?" Rei exclaimed, "Well, this is just great."

"I have to leave." Kai said suddenly, looking at his watch, "I'll be back by dinner."

"Where are you going?" Tala asked the question on Rei's mind.

"Tell you when I come back." Kai yelled as he rushed out of the room, almost forgetting to grab his jacket, "Sort everything out before I get back."

The two looked at each other after the door closed, either having seen Kai so rushed. Rei sighed and sat down on the sofa, Tala flopped down beside him. Neither said anything for a while, relaxing in the comfortable silence that settled around them. They sat there for god knows how long before the door opened and the other three members of the team came in.

"Hey guys," Max greeted before sitting down holding what looked like cotton candy, "Saw you two on the news, how long has that been going on?"

"Not that long…" Rei said, trying to think of a quick answer.

"Tala's only been here for two days," Chief pointed out, "You sure act fast, Rei."

"We got together after the World championships. I visited him in the hospital, and it sort of took off from there." Tala said, sending a rather cold look towards the glassed boy. The four others in the room, including Rei, froze and stared at the redhead as if he'd grown a second head.

"Rei, you never told us that. We never even had a clue!" Max said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I didn't really know how you would react to the situation." Rei said lamely, not being able to come up with anything better.

"If it makes you feel any better," Tala said, getting Rei out of the tight spot, "My team didn't know about this anymore than you did."

"Did Kai know?" Tyson asked suddenly, "He must have, you tell him everything. Both of you."

"Kai didn't know," Rei said hurriedly, not wanting the others to think that Kai was in on this, "We didn't tell him."

"We thought we'd keep it a secret," Tala added perfectly, "From everyone."

"You sure did that well," Chief said, sounding rather sour, "None of us suspected a thing."

Rei yawned, suddenly feeling drained and tired. Tala placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at the rest of the blade breakers, "I think he needs a nap."

"Take him to bed then," Chief snapped, turning and reaching for the phone. "I'm calling for take out."

Rei closed his eyes and allowed Tala to lead him towards his bedroom. He must be more worn than he thought if he was practically falling asleep on his feet.

"Sweet dreams, Neko," Rei heard someone whisper as he was laid gently onto his bed.

"You too," He wanted to reply, but couldn't seem to gather enough energy to force his mouth to open. Soft footsteps leading out of the room and a soft click told him he was alone, and it was barely ten seconds later that the neko-jin drifted into blissful slumber.


End file.
